Very Long Story
The Search for Kisha’s Flip-Flops … One day, Kisha was out walking in the woods. She carried her easel with her, as usual. In fact, the koala rather liked having her easel along, in case anything interesting to paint captured her attention. Kisha traveled for a few more minutes and then reached Wuzzleburg. She came upon Wubbzy, who was kicking his kickety-kick ball. ‘’Let me paint your ball,’’ Kisha decided. ‘’Sure!’’ Wubbzy replied eagerly. Kisha went to work on her painting, and then she was done. ‘’I did a GREAT job!’’ she declared. And she had! She had painted the right shape and color of the kickety-kick ball. ‘’Good painting, Kisha!’’ marveled Wubbzy. ‘’But I don’t want to go back to the Jumpstart world just yet,’’ Kisha replied. ‘’Because I would want to take the painting back!’’ ‘’Who will do it for you?’’ asked Wubbzy. ‘’Gidget, of course!’’ Kisha replied. Gidget appeared from out of nowhere. ‘’'WOW, A KICKETY-KICK BALL!’’ '''he said with a robotic voice. Gidget jumped up and crushed the painting of Wubbzy’s kickety-kick ball. ‘’That’s okay, I’ll find something else to paint,’’ said Kisha. So Kisha went to find Walden. Walden was busy in his library, and when he spotted Kisha, he stopped. ‘’Hello, what can I help you with?’’ Walden asked. ‘’Well, I want to paint a picture,’’ Kisha admitted. ‘’Can you show me something to paint so I can show my friends?’’ ‘’Yes, yes, yes,’’ nodded Walden. ‘’Come on, follow me!’’ So Kisha followed Walden out of his observatory and into Widget’s workshop. ‘’Have you got something Kisha can paint?’’ asked Walden to Widget. ‘’Well, I don’t have anything at the moment,’’ Widget admitted. ‘’How about you go find a thing to paint on your own?’’ ‘’Well, okay,’’ Kisha said. So Kisha and Walden continued on until they came upon a bat! ‘’A BAT!’’ Kisha shouted with fright. ‘’I will not hurt you,’’ the bat assured her. ‘’You can paint ''me!’’ ‘’Oh, that’s a great ''idea!’’ was Kisha’s excited answer. So Kisha painted the bat, and when she was finished, she admired her work. ‘’Well, now I’ll have to get Gidget to send this back to the Jumpstart world,’’ decided Kisha. Gidget appeared and saw the painting of the bat. ‘’'OKAY, SHALL I TAKE THIS?’’ he asked. ‘’That’s what I wanted you to do,’’ Kisha explained. ‘’'THEN I WILL TAKE THIS BACK TO THE JUMPSTART WORLD,’’ '''Gidget droned. Gidget disappeared from view. Walden and the bat left, and Kisha was alone again. But then, the Singing Ants came strutting toward her and sang a little song, as they always did: ‘’''Look at what’s on your feet! Flip-flops, flip-flops, that’s really neat! We’ll take those, we’ll take those, Can anyone catch us? No one knows!’’ Kisha started to run off, and then she tripped and fell, causing herself to lose her flip-flops. The ants soon found them and snatched them up. ‘’Finally, we have something to steal!’’ Ant 1 said. ‘’Oh, no, not those ants again…’’ Kisha complained. The ants started to walk off, holding Kisha’s flip-flops. Eleanor appeared next to the koala. ‘’Kisha! Are you all right?’’ asked Eleanor. ‘’Yes, I tripped, but I’m okay,’’ Kisha confessed. ‘’And where’s your flip-flops?’’ Eleanor wanted to know. Kisha looked at her feet, and saw that they were bare. ‘’The ants took my flip-flops!’’ she cried. ‘’Can you run okay?’’ Eleanor inquired. ‘’Oh, sure!’’ Kisha said with confidence. ‘’Even without my flip-flops, I can still run pretty fast!’’ Eleanor and Kisha chased the ants, but the ants were too clever. Soon they found Hopsalot, who was busy playing kickety-kick ball with Gidget. ‘’Come on, let’s play a game!’’ Hopsalot said excitedly. ‘’A GAME?’’ repeated Eleanor and Kisha. After seeing the kickety-kick ball with Gidget, they remembered what happened last time: Gidget squashed the ball without a second thought. So they were wary to see this robot with Wubbzy’s favorite ball. ‘’'THIS TIME, I’LL NOT SQUISH THE BALL,’’ '''Gidget began. ‘’'TRUST ME.’’ ‘’But how come you and Hopsalot are playing with it?’’ Eleanor asked. ‘’'OH, HOPSALOT JUST WAS IN THE MOOD FOR A GAME, I GUESS,’’ '''Gidget intoned innocently. ‘’We can play without you,’’ Kisha told the robot. ‘’'OH, NO. IT’S MORE FUN WITH FOUR!’’ Gidget explained. ‘’You just crushed my painting of the kickety-kick ball earlier, remember?’’ Kisha responded. ‘’'YOU DIDN’T MIND THAT, AT ALL,’’ '''Gidget informed her. ‘’Can’t you just leave!?’’ Eleanor piped up. ‘’'I’M STAYING IN THE GAME,’’ 'Gidget said. Simultaneously, Kisha and Eleanor let out defeated sighs. They knew there was no ''way ''Gidget was going to agree to get out of the game, and furthermore, how could you say no to that suggestion? ‘’We’ll play kickety-kick ball with you,’’ Eleanor said finally. ‘’'COME ON!’’ 'Gidget cried. ‘’Yeah, let’s play!’’ added Hopsalot. So Kisha and Eleanor stood on the right side while Gidget and Hopsalot stood on the left side. Gidget proceeded to kick the ball real hard---but not too hard. Eleanor caught it, and then threw the ball to Hopsalot. ‘’Catch, Kisha!’’ shouted Hopsalot as he threw the ball to the koala. She immediately caught it. Kisha then threw the ball to Gidget. This went on for a while…until Gidget could not take it any longer. So when he caught the ball, he didn’t throw it to Eleanor. He let it bounce and sit, and then he squashed Wubby’s beloved kickety-kick ball, causing it to deflate---again. ‘’You’re not being a good player!’’ Eleanor scolded. ‘’'OH, SORRY,’’ '''Gidget said, then walked off to find Wubbzy. ‘’Let’s see where the ants are!’’ Eleanor told Hopsalot and Kisha. ‘’I’m pretty sure they’re long gone, Eleanor,’’ Kisha replied. ‘’''Again!’’ ''Hopsalot concluded. ‘’Now that we don’t know where those ants went, how about we seek some advice?’’ Eleanor asked. ‘’That’s what Gidget would say,’’ Kisha agreed. So Kisha, Hopsalot, and Eleanor went off. Meanwhile, Gidget was showing Wubbzy his deflated kickety-kick ball. ‘’''Why do you keep deflating my ball!?!?’’ ''ranted Wubbzy. ‘’''I’m tired of seeing this ball not being able to bounce, '''AND IT’S YOUR FAULT!’’'' Gidget suggested that Wubbzy should play with the red ball. ‘’Oh, I’ll give it a try, but it wouldn’t be the same,’’ Wubbzy grumped. So Wubbzy got a red ball to replace his blue kickety-ball. The red ball was much ''crazier than the kickety-ball---it went out of control when someone kicked it. So it was all up to Wubbzy to retrieve the red ball. ‘’'WAIT FOR ME!’’ 'Gidget called. … Henry the penguin was taking care of Dennis, Harry, and Elsie. Lately, he noticed that Stanley hardly told Harry and Elsie some tricks. So HE decided to do it and see how it went. When Elsie started to look at Dennis with a smiling face, Henry immediately reprimanded her. ‘’Elsie! Leave Dennis alone!’’ ‘’Okay, then,’’ Elsie said. Then Henry turned to Harry. ‘’Roll over!’’ he instructed. Harry tried to roll over, but he couldn’t do it. ‘’Elsie, ''meow!’’ ''Harry ordered afterward. ‘’''Meow,’’ ''went Elsie obediently. Then she asked, confused, ‘’Wait, why are you telling me to meow?’’ ‘’I just like the way it sounds,’’ Henry replied. Henry then turned to Harry again and said, ‘’Fetch the stick!’’ ‘’Oh, boy!’’ Harry said, panting with excitement. Henry got a stick. ‘’''Fetch!’’ ''he cried as he tossed it. Harry ran after the stick, barking ecstatically. But Elsie went with them, and the two got in a fight over it. ‘’''Stop!’’ ''cried Henry. Harry and Elsie stopped fighting and looked at Henry with sad eyes. ‘’You guys are ''hopeless,’’ ''griped Henry. ‘’No wonder Stanley didn’t show you any tricks!’’ ‘’Yes, he did!’’ cried Elsie. ‘’Stanley ''always ''had the time to throw Harry a stick.’’ ‘’Puh. I don’t believe you,’’ scoffed Henry. ‘’BUT HE DID!’’ insisted Harry and Elsie. ‘’Do you EVEN remember that?’’ challenged Henry. ‘’I can see it clearly in my mind!’’ Harry answered. ‘’It’s not like we don’t LIKE each other or anything!’’ ‘’I…kind of understand that,’’ Henry responded. ‘’Oh, Henry, are you just trying to tease us?’’ asked Elsie. ‘’No!’’ Henry said. ‘’But, Harry, sometimes Elsie gets in your way.’’ ‘’How so? How so?’’ barked Harry. ‘’Well, you’re always getting attention from ''Stanley,’’ ''Henry said out of the blue. ‘’So maybe Elsie is jealous that ''she ''doesn’t get that much attention!’’ ‘’Insulting!’’ Elsie shouted. ‘’Is not!’’ Henry snapped. ‘’Is too!’’ Elsie argued. ‘’Is not!’’ said Henry. ‘’Is too!’’ Elsie meowed. ‘’Please stop fighting,’’ Dennis moaned. ‘’I can’t ''stand ''it!’’ ‘’Henry the Penguin, why are you so grumpy all the time?’’ asked Elsie. ‘’What’s that?’’ Henry inquired. ‘’You look grumpy today, just like any other day,’’ Dennis clarified. ‘’Well, then, that’s---‘’ Henry began. But before he could finish, Hopsalot, Kisha, and Eleanor came running in. ‘’Henry! Dennis! Elsie! Harry!’’ Eleanor cried. ‘’Thank goodness! Those ants are up to no good again!’’ ‘’And Henry, do you know those ants?’’ asked Kisha. ‘’I doubt it!’’ Henry said. ‘’I don’t know who YOU three are, first of all.’’ ‘’I’m Kisha,’’ the koala replied. ‘’I’m Eleanor,’’ added the elephant. ‘’And I’m Hopsalot,’’ finished Hopsalot. ‘’Kisha, Eleanor, and Hopsalot,’’ Henry mused. ‘’Nice names!’’ ‘’These ants, Henry,’’ Kisha cut in, ‘’always steal stuff!’’ ‘’We’ll even join you!’’ Elsie said. ‘’Who?’’ Eleanor asked. ‘’Me, Harry, and Henry, of course!’’ Elsie answered. ‘’And I bet I have family!’’ Henry blurted out. ‘’I guess that could be done first,’’ Kisha decided. ‘’You show us your family, and ''then ''we’ll catch those ants.’’ ‘’Good luck!’’ Dennis called as the friends hurried away. The six friends traveled for a couple of moments before finally coming upon a very old penguin, along with a much younger penguin. ‘’This is Uncle Ivan,’’ Henry said, referring to the older penguin. ‘’Hello, kids,’’ croaked Uncle Ivan. ‘’And this is my younger brother, Michael,’’ Henry said, referring to the younger penguin. ‘’And who are those kids?’’ inquired Michael gently. ‘’Eleanor, Kisha, and Hopsalot,’’ Henry replied, getting all their names right. ‘’Well, Henry, I suppose that we have newcomers,’’ Uncle Ivan whispered. ‘’Actually, they’re not here to visit,’’ Henry confirmed. ‘’They came because of some pesky ants!’’ ‘’And---some ants?’’ asked Uncle Ivan. Henry then realized that he forgot to introduce Harry and Elsie. ‘’I forgot to say: These are Harry and Elsie.’’ ‘’You are so ''purr-''fect!’’ purred Elsie. ‘’Yes,’’ barked Henry. ‘’That’s right!’’ ‘’Can I play with Harry and Elsie?’’ Michael piped up. ‘’No, they’re here because of the ants, too,’’ Henry explained. ‘’We lost them, AGAIN, just like last time,’’ Eleanor moaned. ‘’Well, it’s been nice meeting you, Henry,’’ said Uncle Ivan weakly. ‘’Okay, now I must be off,’’ Henry said. ‘’Okay,’’ Uncle Ivan replied. ‘’Good luck! I’ll stay with Michael.’’ Harry, Elsie, Henry, Kisha, Eleanor, and Hopsalot continued on their way. By now, they were traveling toward Jungle Junction, where Zooter was busy playing with the Beetlebugs. Henry saw them play with---''Wubbzy’s red ball! ‘’That’s Wubbzy’s ball!’’ Henry shouted. Zooter and the Beetlebugs didn’t hear him. ‘’''Children!’’ ''Henry snapped, and that made the Beetlebugs and Zooter freeze. ‘’I’m not a child,’’ Zooter protested. ‘’Who ''are ''you, anyway?’’ ‘’I’m Henry,’’ said the penguin. ‘’I have five friends named Harry, Elsie, Kisha, Eleanor, and Hopsalot, who are helping me find some ants.’’ ‘’Oh, those ants!’’ Blue Beetlebug said with a snicker. The Beetlebugs started to laugh. ‘’''THAT IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!’’ ''yelled Henry. ‘’Why do you find it funny?’’ ‘’Oh, sorry, Henry,’’ said Yellow Beetlebug. ‘’Sometimes we laugh without realizing it,’’ Orange Beetlebug added. ‘’Well, I’ll tell you what!’’ Henry answered. ‘’I am VERY, VERY serious!’’ ‘’Oh, no…’’ Green Beetlebug responded. ‘’Oh, no?’’ repeated Henry suspiciously. ‘’Does that mean you have no sense of humor?’’ asked Red Beetlebug. ‘’Well, ah…’’ Henry began. He wasn’t sure how to answer. ‘’What?’’ Orange Beetlebug inquired. ‘’Sometimes being serious is a good thing,’’ Henry added. ‘’You Beetlebugs may be young, but you’re VERY capable of understanding what you’re doing!’’ But then Hopsalot, Kisha, and Eleanor saw the red ball. So did Harry and Elsie. ‘’Oh, where did this red ball come from?’’ Eleanor asked. ‘’How should I know?’’ Henry replied. ‘’I think I know where it came from,’’ Kisha added. ‘’You see, Wubbzy was probably playing with it back in Wuzzleburg.’’ ‘’Wuzzleburg?’’ Henry repeated. ‘’That’s where Wubbzy and his friends live,’’ Eleanor explained. ‘’Yeah. It probably came from Wuzzleburg,’’ Kisha admitted. ‘’How could it go from Wuzzleburg…all the way to Jungle Junction?’’ Hopsalot asked, shocked at the sudden appearance of the red ball. ‘’Apparently, that ball rolls fast---and far,’’ Eleanor guessed. ‘’Pah! That’s unbelievable!’’ remarked Henry. ‘’You may have a point there, Henry,’’ agreed Eleanor. ‘’Maybe ''I ''could follow the red ball,’’ Zooter offered. ‘’Yeah! Zooter! Zooter! Zooter! Zooter!’’ chanted the Beetlebugs. ‘’Oh, double pah! You’ll get lost and not know your way back to Jungle Junction,’’ Henry told Zooter. ‘’I guess you’re right,’’ Zooter said. ‘’Can ''I ''kick it?’’ Hopsalot asked. ‘’Knock yourself out,’’ Henry said by way of agreement. Hopsalot gave the ball a great big kick. Soon, it began bouncing uncontrollably, and was soon out of sight! ‘’Wow!’’ cried Hopsalot. ‘’Did you see that?’’ ‘’It really ''does ''roll fast and far,’’ Eleanor remarked. ‘’Oh, oh, oh! Let me get it! Let me get it!’’ Harry enthused. ‘’It’s not for YOU, Harry. It’s for Wubbzy,’’ Henry reminded him. ‘’Wubbzy?’’ repeated Harry. ‘’Who’s Wubbzy?’’ Elsie asked. ‘’He’s a resident of Wuzzleburg,’’ Henry explained. ‘’I have never heard of that place,’’ Elsie said. ‘’Wait, wait, wait!’’ Hopsalot put in frantically. ‘’We need to find those ants!’’ ‘’They ''still ''have my flip-flops!’’ Kisha added. ‘’Oh, right, the ants,’’ Henry realized. ‘’You still want to find them?’’ ‘’Yes, how come we’re just visiting other people and not trying to find the ants?’’ replied Hopsalot. ‘’Well, now, I suppose we better go, then,’’ Henry decided. ‘’Good luck, Zooter and the Beetlebugs!’’ ‘’Good-bye!’’ answered Zooter and the Beetlebugs. So Henry, Harry, Elsie, Eleanor, Kisha, and Hopsalot traveled on until they finally came upon the ants! ‘’That’s a lot of ants,’’ Henry remarked. ‘’It’s an ant colony,’’ Hopsalot said. ‘’Oh!’’ Henry said. ‘’That makes sense, I guess.’’ ‘’I ''really ''feel like chasing those ants,’’ Harry enthused. ‘’I think ''I ''can handle them,’’ Henry insisted. ‘’After all, how hard can it be?’’ ‘’It ''is ''hard, because those ants are very clever,’’ Eleanor explained. ‘’And fast,’’ Hopsalot replied. ‘’FAST!?’’ Henry cried. ‘’I think I can stop them!’’ So Henry wistfully went over to the ants. At the sight of a penguin, glaring down at them, the ants froze. Kisha grabbed her flip-flops while the ants were distracted. ‘’Henry!’’ Ant 1 cried. ‘’Ants,’’ Henry retorted. ‘’It’s about time!’’ ‘’W-W-W-W-What?’’ asked Ant 1. ‘’I heard that you can’t swim,’’ Henry said. ‘’That’s true…’’ Ant 1 replied. ‘’You better catch me!’’ Henry cried. ‘’Oh, no, you don’t,’’ Ant 1 threatened after he and his ant buddies noticed that Henry was trying to trick them. Henry thought that the ants would surround him, but they just turned and ran away. But then, they realized that they didn’t have the flip-flops! ‘’THE FLIP-FLOPS!’’ Ant 1 shouted. ‘’Where ''are ''they?’’ asked Ant 2. ‘’I bet Kisha got them back,’’ Ant 1 snarled. ‘’We’ll show her!’’ The ants raced back, but Kisha wasn’t there. With Hopsalot and Eleanor, she apparently had disappeared. ‘’Come on!’’ Ant 1 said angrily. The ants began racing toward Hopsalot, Eleanor, and Kisha’s trail. ‘’How could you know where Eleanor, Kisha, and Hopsalot are?’’ Henry asked, baffled. ‘’No!’’ Harry and Elsie, who were still there, cried. So the three friends had to chase the ants. Finally, the ants arrived at Jungle Junction, where Hopsalot, Eleanor, and Kisha were. The ants didn’t see the water until it was too late. This time, Hopsalot, Eleanor, and Kisha were sure they were gone. Soon, Hopsalot, Kisha, and Eleanor were back at the Jumpstart world. Category:3126 Category:Pages that are too long